The present invention relates to the measurement of the quantity of particulate material carried by a fluid flow.
Fluid conveyors are known to the prior art and provide an efficient system for moving solid materials from one location to another. A major advantage in such systems is that there often need be no moving parts between the conveyor inlet and/or outlet, or at least for great distances along the conveyor. The material being conveyed may be conveyed in a liquid as a slurry or as particulate material carried by a gas flow.
On delivery of the conveyed material at the desired location, the material is separated from the conveying fluid with the fluid being discharged or recycled. If the conveying fluid is to be discharged, it is often necessary to filter it, at least for environmental reasons if not for further material recovery. If not carefully monitored, the filter can become blinded requiring maintenance in the form of replacement or reconditioning of the filter medium. While blinding can be detected by monitoring the pressure drop across the filter medium, as by triggering an alarm at a preset pressure drop, this merely indicates that blinding has occurred and that maintenance is necessary.
Of course, continuing operation results in the blinding of any filter. However, in this instance where there is a collecting operation preceding the filter, the monitoring of the particulate flow between the collector and filter will allow a determination to be made that the collector is operating inefficiently resulting in excessive material flow and premature filter blinding. Thus, such monitoring will indicate an acceleration of filter blinding prior to the occurrence of the blinding, with proper collector adjustment allowing longer operation before maintenance. Further, such a system would allow a greater collecting efficiency.